Supply shortages, factory closures and disruption on an unprecedented scale could have signalled the death knell for many businesses. But, among the disruption, many emerged even stronger, some even on the back of the maxim: better together


THRIVING IN ADVERSITY


THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS HAVE BEEN AMONG THE MOST CHALLENGING FOR INDUSTRY IN RECENT TIMES. SINCE THE World Health Organisation declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020 - the same day India suspended tourist visas and only 24 hours after Germany reported its first casualties – the way the world does business changed. The early days saw levels of disruption way in excess of what even the most experienced industrialists had ever encountered. At the height of the pandemic, supply shortages and factory closures hit the process manufacturing sector hard. Others that remained open faced having to implement home working procedures which limited on-site support and hindered productivity. And as the fatalities continued to rise and country after country took unprecedented steps to limit the spread, the business world eventually came to terms with what was quickly being described as a new normal and responded in the way it knows best – by getting down to business. And while many did suffer, others not only survived but went on to thrive, expanding, innovating and moving into 2021 stronger than ever as this timeline demonstrates. July: Flexco announced expansion plans with a much larger alternative to its original base in Rosenfeld, Germany. The new facility is 10,741 sq m, with 3,200 sq m of it being office space and the remaining 7,500 sq m set aside for production, storage, and shipping. This more than doubles the space available for all departments and


allows scope to expand the workforce. The company had increased its workforce by 15 per cent in the previous year and immediately announced plans to double their apprenticeship commitment. Joerg Schairer, managing director, said at the time that a priority was a more modern, open design that would optimise the exchange of information between its employees and customers. “We’ll be developing the site into one of the most modern competence centers in Europe for belt conveyor productivity in a variety of industries and applications,” he said. “We understand the challenges of customers – from food, to parcel handling, to laundry, to mining and more.”


JOINT VENTURES REAP REWARDS August: Oseco and Elfab joined forces to harness their expertise as leading lights in rupture disk manufacturing to offer turnkey pressure relief solutions to a wider audience. The collaboration means that Oseco-Elfab is now backed by two manufacturing premises, six regional sales offices, and more than 30 approved representatives all over the world. Oseco, which is based in Oklahoma in the USA, and Elfab, with its headquarters in Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom, have formed a combined company to better serve global customers and offer an


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